Only So Much Time
by WolfGirl4Life
Summary: Pretend that no one knows if Renesme will live or die. The Cullens- minus Edward and Bella- left Forks so that they could take care of Renesme, and Edward and Bella didn't have to be there if she died. Oneshot, but may become a series. Please review!
1. Depression, Suspicion, Hope

**Hey guys! This is my first fanfic, so be nice! Please comment, and tell me what you think. If you don't like this idea, I have a few other ones. (Only two, actually) I want to do only Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn, fanfic, so if you request an idea, make it like that. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn, or any of the characters. Stephenie Meyer does. As if I could come anywhere close to that.**

**Background Information (CRUCIAL TO THE STORY!!!! READ IF YOU WANT TO UNDERSTAND!!): This is set fifteen-sixteen years after Breaking Dawn**

I was crying-or as close to crying as a vampire could. My tearless sobs drew Edward to the room, almost like a reflex. I felt him slither under me. He wrapped his steel arms around my waist and begged in my ear not to cry. But how could I not? My daughter had been taken away from me. I couldn't see her beautiful face, smell her delicious scent, hear her perfect voice, or feel her warm, smooth skin. It felt like somebody had taken away a vital organ. Like my heart, or my brain. If it weren't for Edward, I probably couldn't function. I just continued to sob, and for the first time since I had become a vampire, I felt weak. A part of me was dying inside; only my burning passion and love for Edward kept me alive. It hurt when he left the room, even if it was for just a few minutes. I had never felt so dependent, so…needy, but it was impossible not to worry when my daughter had a very large chance of dying at the youthful age of fifteen. Only Edward had kept me from finding her. He knew that I would probably personally track down Carlisle and the rest of my family just so I could see her face. Edward knew I was struggling, and though he would never admit it to my face, I knew that he was struggling too. He had to be strong for the both of us. If he was just as in a mess as I was, there was no way that either of us would be able to survive.

It hurt when we got home from an extended hunting trip, and I saw the red blinking light on the phone. I would sprint over, praying to God that it would be Carlisle, telling me that everything was alright- that my baby could come home and she would be able to stay with me for the rest of my life, forever. I was devastated when I found that nearly every call was from Jacob, asking a bunch of questions, but avoiding the one that he needed the answer to most- is she back yet?

I knew that Jacob was suffering almost as much as I was- that he nearly killed himself every time that I called, telling him that I didn't know when she would be home. On these calls, I almost choked nearly every time to keep myself from going into another sobbing fit. A few times I had. We stayed on the phone for hours, crying together.

I almost wished that it was us that had gone away, not the rest of our family. The Cullen house always reminded me of her. I avoided the living room as much as possible, seeing as though so much had gone on there, but it was difficult. I was almost obsessed. I searched the house, desperately seeking any lingering traces of her scent. I hadn't found any in weeks.

"Please, love, don't cry," Edward begged, whispering in my ear. It sounded as if he may start to cry as well. I tried to pull myself together, for him, but I was pathetically unsuccessful.

"I'm sorry," I whimpered, curling into his stone-hard chest. "I'm just so worried about them." I said them instead of her. I knew that he might just break down if I said her.

"I know," he whispered, pulling me closer to him. "But they can take care of themselves, and her. Everything will be fine." But the way he said it…something was off. Almost like he regretted saying it. And I knew that I shouldn't get my hopes up, because he had no way to prove that what he had just said was the truth. I almost cried again at the hard sound of his voice.

"Please, tell me, what are you thinking? Tell me before I go insane," he murmured. I laughed lightly, but I knew he meant it. I didn't know what to tell him. I was thinking about so many things at the moment.

"I'm thinking about what I'm going to do if she…doesn't come back," I replied quietly. Again, I was thinking a lot of things, but that was thing that was at the front of my mind. He didn't respond. He held me tighter, if that were possible. "You know it's a possibility," I said, looking up at him for the first time in the entire conversation. He nodded.

"I'm trying to stay positive," he remarked, not looking at me. I didn't answer; I didn't know what to say.

"Edward, you know if you stay positive, but things don't turn out the way you planned, you're only going to be more hurt afterwards," I said. It wasn't a question. He sat there for a minute, contemplating my words. What seemed like eternity later, he nodded.

"Bella, no matter what happens to us, our family, or our daughter; we will always have each other. We will always get through anything. Nothing bad will ever happen as long as we're together, do you understand?" he asked. I nodded sadly. He didn't look convinced, but didn't push the subject.

"I love you," he murmured in my ear. "So, so much. I love you for every single day of forever." I kissed him lightly on the mouth. We left our lips together, not moving, just lingering there for a while. I was confused to hear a car turning on to the Cullen's driveway. I looked up at Edward, but he was grimacing. Something about our visitor's thoughts didn't please him.

"Who is it?" I asked. Edward shook his head, as if to say 'you'll see'. The doorbell rang. I sighed and walked slowly, for a vampire at least, to the door. I opened it slightly, and when I saw who it was, I smiled.

"Hey, Jake! What brings you here?" I asked. Jake didn't smile; he just pushed past me and entered the house. I knit my eyebrows. I turned around and saw him sitting on the couch, covering his eyes.

"Jake, what's the matter?" I asked, concerned. I hadn't seen him this upset since the night Renesme left. He removed his hands from his face and sighed as I sat on the loveseat across from him, sitting across Edward's lap.

"I can't do this anymore, I can't be separated from her like this," he said. Me and Edward shared a quick glance.

"Jake, I'm sorry. We miss her too, but there's nothing we can do…" I said, but Jake cut me off.

"She's your daughter! Of course you can do something! You can bring her home!" Jake bellowed, his body shaking violently. Edward's grip on me tightened. I just watched as Jake began to cry. I didn't know what to say, but I had to say something. His low, restrained, sobs were full of pain and agony- they were ringing in my ears.

"Jake, please don't cry. You're going to be fine, and so is she," I said, trying to comfort him, but the shaking didn't stop.

"You can't know that!" he yelled, his voice cracking everywhere. After a long pause, he spoke again. "I'm leaving. I'm going to find her, and your family. I can't stay away from her anymore; it's killing me." He put his hand over his face again, and he took deeper, longer breaths. The shaking decreased slightly in violence. I sat there in silence, waiting for him to calm down before I spoke.

"What the…?!" Edward said suddenly. There was a smile on his face that reflected his tone. Jake gave him a glare that shot bullets across the room, as if that could kill him.

"This isn't funny!" Jake said his voice cracking, and his shaking getting worse. "Thanks, Edward," I thought. There was no calming Jake down now- he would bolt out soon as to not tear the house apart when he phased.

"No, Jacob, you don't understand! There's no need for you to leave! They're coming home!" Edward said. I couldn't help but smile, even if he was lying. But shortly after I smiled, my confused look replicated Jacob's. The thing was, we both knew that Edward wouldn't lie about something like this. Though, he probably would find it funny if he led Jacob on. But he was grieving over Renesme's absence just as much as we were, and he knew that if he faked something like that, it would send me into a deeper depression. Jake stared at Edward, scanning his face for any signs of lying, but as always, there were none. A flash of hope entered Jacob's eyes. Then as quickly as it had come, it went away, doubt and suspicion taking its place.


	2. Only Half the Reunion

Jake was still glaring at Edward several minutes later, and I could only imagine what was running through his mind…both of their minds…Suddenly, Edward nodded once sharply.

"Don't worry, Jacob. You have my word," Edward vowed, leaving me out of the loop. I wondered what my husband could have possibly promised my best friend. Again, I could only imagine. Jacob nodded lightly, and started to stand, he quickly sat back down.

"How long?" he asked. The desperation, anxiousness, in his voice was so childish it was almost funny. Like a five-year-old asking how long until Christmas. But I couldn't bring myself to laugh. How could I, when my best friend was sitting here, sobbing in plain sight for everyone to see.

"It depends," Edward said, closing his eyes, probably listening for Carlisle's thoughts. "They haven't decided if they're going to run, or if they're going to drive. Ne…she can't run as fast as vampires can, so if they did decide to run, someone would probably carry her, unless they are patient enough for only half-vampire speed. Her human heart can't keep up. I'm no Alice, but I'm guessing that they are going to drive. If they do, it may take a few hours to a few days, but we'll let you know when you can come back.

"I want to be here when she…they…get home," Jake complained in a voice that was almost whining. I gave Jacob a glance.

"I'm sorry Jacob, but I'm her mother. I get to hold her first; blood before love," I remarked. Jacob and Edward chuckled, though I hadn't meant it as a joke. "You know what I mean! Jacob, I'm sorry, but if anything, they'll come at night, you can come the next morning." Jake started to protest, but stopped himself. He didn't want to argue with me, but I would kill anyone who stood in my way of seeing my daughter. With that, Jacob was out the door. I waited for him to run away, to give him time to phase, to contact his pack.

"Are they really coming home?" I asked, quietly, looking into Edward's golden eyes that finally matched mine.

"I wouldn't lie about something that meant so much to you. You know me better than that," he said, a little accusingly, but I just smiled and kissed him on the lips.

"Have they made up their minds?" I asked, a little shyly.

"I'm amazed, Bella. Almost sixteen years of immortality and your patience hasn't gotten any better," he said, obviously amused. I smiled, and pulled myself closer to him. The phone rang, loud and clear. We were both so startled. It was not the wolf howl that usually sounded when Jacob called, a joke between the three of us. But it wasn't the howl, it was a regular ring. We shared a long glance, but Edward leaned over and picked up the phone from the coffee table beside me. He read the caller I.D., and showed it to me.

"Do you want to answer?" he asked. I read the words what felt like a thousand times before I responded. I nodded stiffly, and took the phone away from Edward. The tiny screen read the two words I had been dying to see for three years. Carlisle Cullen.

"Hello?" I breathed, still a little in shock.

"Bella?" Carlisle's familiar voice was such a relief to my slight panic attack.

"Yes, Carlisle, it's me," I said, exhaling for the first time in what seemed like a minute.

"I'm actually glad it's you who picked up the phone. I have some good news," Carlisle said. From his voice, it sounded like he was smiling. I smiled too, I looked up at Edward, whose smile was so wide, it showed all of his teeth.

"Yes, what is it?" I pressed, anxiousness tainting my normal voice that sounded like singing to a human ear.

"We're coming home," Carlisle said. It sounded like relief was overwhelming for him. "Everything's fine, everything's safe. She is so happy to be going home, you have no idea," he laughed tensely.

"Thank you, Carlisle, thank you so much. I owe you one; I owe you one big time!" I said, I heard Edward's low chuckle, and smiled.

"I'm assuming you want to talk to Edward about some medical stuff that I won't understand," I laughed, preparing to give the phone to Edward.

"Bella, I'd actually like to speak to both of you at the same time, so if you would put me on speakerphone, that would be helpful," he requested.

"Sure, sure. Just hold on one second," I said. I fumbled with the phone, and then found the speaker button.

"Hey, Carlisle, can you hear me?" I asked.

"Yes, Bella, I can hear you perfectly," he responded.

"Hello, Carlisle," Edward said, his voice casual and blasé. "Nice to talk to you after such a long time."

"Hello, son," Carlisle said brightly. "But really, I have to be fast. Nessie is in the car, practically jumping up and down," he explained. I wanted to smile, but at the same time I wanted to cry. I hadn't heard anyone say her actual name in months, and it was so difficult to stop myself from going into another sobbing fit. Edward squeezed my waist.

"Carlisle, we have to go!!!" I heard Alice's wind chime voice sound from a distance. Rosalie's soft, feminine laugh could be heard faintly, and Emmett's booming laugh practically shook _our _house, let alone theirs. Where were Esme and Jazz? It felt so good to hear the smooth voices of my family that I was craving for more.

"How about I explain everything when we get home?" he suggested. "Is everyone in the car?" he asked, obviously not speaking to us.

"Yes, sweetie," I heard Esme's voice call from a short distance.

"So how about it then?" he asked, speaking to us again.

"Perfect," I said, all too excited. "How long will it take?" I asked. Carlisle paused.

"Alice says that there will be very little traffic, so we should be there in only a couple of hours." I sighed in relief, and looked up at Edward. A broad smile stretched across his perfect face, his dazzling white teeth shooting a seven-color rainbow.

"Okay, okay," I heard Rosalie complain. "Carlisle! Nessie wants to go! Come on!" Carlisle sighed.

"That's my cue," he grumbled. "I'll see you two in a few hours?" he asked.

"Yes," I said. "Drive safely," I added, and ignored Edward's snort. For as long as I'd known the Cullens, I'd known that every one of them drove at an unreasonably fast-no, not fast…there was no other word- speed. Yet even though it felt like they drove ten times the speed limit, in my experience, they had never once been pulled over.

I didn't hang up until I heard the click. I sighed.

"They're really coming home, aren't they?" I said, not particularly to Edward, but also to myself. My body had been programmed in sadness mode for so long, it would take a while to recover, or so I thought. But in that instant, I felt…happier. I felt light, and joyful, and euphoric, I could have come up with so many adjectives to explain how I was feeling, but none of the words would have been right. The feeling I was experience…it was…indescribable.

"If only you knew how much I would give to read your mind, even just for a few minutes," he murmured in my ear. "What are you thinking about right this moment?" I had to pause and think about that one.

"I'm thinking about a lot of things. I'm thinking about Renesme," he flinched when I said her name. It was a word that hadn't escaped my lips in years. I continued, ignoring whatever that instantaneous flinch meant. "I'm thinking about how this will change everything, I'm thinking about Jacob," I looked up at him, but his expression told me that he still was not convinced.

"Bella, even if you're a vampire and can't blush when you're

lying anymore, one, I know you better than that, and two, I'm not that naive," he said. "Right," I answered. "I'm thinking about if this will bring any danger to us. The Volturi- you said that they would come back. What if that happens now?" I asked, panic filling my voice.

"I can assure you; they will never come near us again, unless they have a real reason to. Renesme is not that reason, I promise," he said. He gave me his crooked smile, and that was it. It was binding. I wouldn't have it any other way. Even though I was trying to trick myself into thinking that a few hours was extremely short, and that I could live, every second I started doubting myself more and more.

"How many hours is a few?" I asked, slightly aggravated. He laughed hysterically.

"Patience is a virtue, love," he said through his laughing. I frowned. I wasn't kidding. I seriously wanted to know.

"Can you tell me how far we are?" I asked. He closed his eyes and searched for the thoughts of our family.

"According to Alice, only one more hour," he smiled. He seemed excited, but nearly as fidgety as I was. Patience had never been a quality of mine, and it seemed that it hadn't carried over into my newer, immortal body. Still, I hadn't wanted anything more than my daughter in my arms-safe, warm, healthy.

"They're almost here," Edward said, fifty minutes later. "They should be here before that clock strikes eleven.

"Promise?" I asked kissing him lightly on the nose. He laughed.

"I promise, Bella," he said, and I smiled, her childish response was quite amusing to me. I then laughed quietly to myself.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked desperately.

"I was just thinking about what it would have been like. If I never moved to Forks, if I stayed with Renee in Phoenix, if I never met you…what would I be doing right now."

"You would be happily married to a man that is actually human, you would be extremely successful at whatever career track you would've chosen, and you would have a full human child, just a beautiful as you are- as beautiful as you were," he said. He sounded so confident that this was a fact, so sure that it would be true, that it was hard to doubt him.

"I would've never found a husband that I love as much as you, I would never be extremely successful, and I could have never had a baby as beautiful as Renesme, so I think I'm better off a vampire," I argued. Edward sighed.

"So many things that you could've been without me, Bella. If we had never met, then you could have saved yourself a lot of pain, suffering, and tears. You would have made Jacob extremely happy…" he trailed off as the doorbell rang. I squealed. Edward laughed, completely distracted. I sprinted to the door, and flung my arms around Alice, and it was like she had never been gone.

"Oh, Alice, remind me to remind you to never leave again! That was the most brutal three years I've ever lived through!" Alice simply rolled her eyes at my dramatics.

"Bella, only you could be such a bad actress, and be so overly-dramatic at the same time," she sighed. "I missed you too." Edward greeted Alice. I smiled and wrapped my arms around Jasper, who I had not seen come in.

"I've missed you, Jazz," I said quietly.

"I've missed you too, Bella. Everyone has been completely miserable after we left. The negative emotions were killing me," he winced at the thought.

"Sorry, Jazz. Sorry that you had to suffer on my account," I smiled.

"Well, you can't take back the past," he said. "But let's focus on the present. The Cullen Coven is back together again, so everything will be okay." His words were truer than he knew.

"Amen," I mumbled, and Alice, Jazz, and Edward laughed. Just then, Emmett and Rosalie walked in.

"Hey baby sister, things have been totally boring without you. Not nearly as many things to make fun of. People here are just so used to my jokes, that it's not funny to watch their reactions anymore, but with you, I can start fresh. Prepare to be insulted," he smirked, and I scowled. A small growl escaped my lips. Emmett smiled evilly.

"Ooh, scary! Bring it on! We've got a while." I laughed at the trueness of his words, as Rosalie opened her arms for a hug. As we embraced she whispered in my ear.

"Nessie missed you so much. I can hardly explain how much she asked for you. She's outside with Carlisle and Esme. Go see her Bella. I'm sure she only missed you half as much as you missed her." That was all it took. I sprinted out the door to find my long lost daughter.


End file.
